In The Media

Harper’s speech at Iran dissident event in Paris lends group undeserved legitimacy, says former DND analyst

by Neil Moss (feat. Thomas Juneau)

The Hill Times
July 6, 2018

Former prime minister Stephen Harper’s decision to deliver a speech at an event in Paris hosted by a controversial group that Canada once listed as a terrorist organization gives it “a lot of weight,” which it “doesn’t deserve,” says an Iran expert.

Last weekend, Mr. Harper and John Baird, the former foreign affairs minister, spoke at an event hosted by the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), a group connected with the Mojahedin-e Khalq (MeK). The MeK was taken off the terror list in 2012, following the lead of the U.S. and the European Union.

Flanking Mr. Harper and Mr. Baird on stage were other former and current MPs from both the Conservative and Liberal parties, including Liberal MP Judy Sgro (Humber River-Black Creek, Ont.), former Conservative MP Paul Forseth, Conservative MP Candice Bergen (Portage-Lisgar, Man.), former Liberal MP Raymonde Folco, and David Kilgour, a former MP who sat as an independent, a Conservative, and a Liberal.